


But Now You Know It

by Nixie_DeAngel



Series: The Murdock Duo [1]
Category: Daredevil (TV), Jessica Jones (TV), Luke Cage (TV), Marvel (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, Criminal Frank, Established Luke/Jessica/Claire, M/M, Mentions of Undercover Work, Minor Character Deaths, Single Father Matt, cursing, mention of other characters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-12-04 04:13:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11547264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nixie_DeAngel/pseuds/Nixie_DeAngel
Summary: Frank doesn't try and kid himself when he gets out of prison. He knows life isn't going to be all sunshine roses. Knows it's going to be tough, knows he's going to have no one but himself to make sure he doesn't end up back where he never wants to be again.He accounts for having a hard time finding jobs. He accounts for shitty living situations. For people looking down or flat out just pretending he isn't there.He should have considered the slim possibilities for good things to come his way. He should have accounted for mouthy lawyers and their bold and beautiful daughter's to throw a wrench into his plan.





	But Now You Know It

**Author's Note:**

> Huge, HUGE thanks to my Sweetie, [Tabihe](https://tabihe.tumblr.com/), for letting me whine and cry about this when I got wrapped up in my head and needed help uncoiling my ideas.
> 
> Also thanks to the beta I got paired up with! I'm sorry, I don't have a link set up for them, but they were a big help! 
> 
> Also a huge, HUGE HUGE thank you to [starshield](http://starshieldfolder.tumblr.com/), who made the amazing art to go along with this story. You should really check out their stuff, its AMAZING!!!!!

 

 

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Getting out of prison is an experience no one will ever forget. No matter what you do to try and bury the memories you leave behind. It’s the one you find yourself unable or unwilling to let go of. That first breath of fresh air as you listen to the buzzers beep and gates close behind you, it’s an experience that sticks with you until you take your last breath of life. It’s something that will haunt you.

Even now, having been outta the clink for nearly two months, it’s still something Frank finds himself pausing to think about, to get lost in. That moment of calm clarity, that sense of utter contentment that washes over him when he draws from that memory. The fear it’s all some twisted dream when he awakes, drenched in a cold sweat after waking from nightmares of the years he spent in that hell.

He tries not to do it often, but he finds himself more often than not using the moment when he needs to reign himself in, reign himself back from the red haze of his rage, when it starts to override everything else in his mind.

He can’t afford to lose control. He can’t afford to let his rage take over, otherwise he’ll end up right back in prison, and he doesn’t want that.

He doesn’t.

So Frank takes a deep breath, lets the memory wash over him, to take the edge off before he thinks of Maria, thinks of the baby girl. Lisa, they wanted to name their unborn baby girl Lisa. It’d been Maria’s great aunt’s name, someone who meant a great deal to his wife, so it was the name they’d agreed on. He thinks of them and the future they could have had as he finishes getting ready for work.

He thinks about Maria’s low raspy chuckle as she rubbed her rounded belly as he finishes pulling on his clothes and then his boots. Let’s the memory of a tiny heartbeat lull in his mind as he grabs his keys, wallet and gym bag before slipping out into the hall, only to turn around and lock up. Though he never has any really faith that the locks will keep people out of his tiny little shit hole apartment. Which is why everything valuable to him, everything he has left of his old life, is always carried with him. No matter where he goes, it’s always with him.

After a short walk and jog down the steps, easily dodging others as he swipes his card to pass through the barriers he just barely makes it onto the train he needs, Frank settles into a seat on the subway. He starts to lean his head back but just barely stops himself, resisting the urge as he lets his mind wander for the twenty minute ride and then for the ten minute walk before he gets to work.

He doesn’t let himself think about the man he nearly beat to death for taking his world away from him. Refuses to let his mind wander to the night he was told he could never be a Marine again. To the night he was told he was no longer a husband. That he’d never be a father to the little girl he’d been so excited to know, love and watch grow up.

Frank does his best to try and steer his mind towards memories like meeting Maria for the first time. For the moment he finished boot camp. For when he was told he’d be a father, the moment he still swore he saw God as he heard his little girl’s heartbeat for the very first time. The moment he felt Lisa’s tiny little foot kick his hand, that’d been resting against Maria’s rounded belly.

He lets his mind settle there, so he has something to help him power through the long, cold New York nights. Though he is looking forward to the few hours he’ll have to hit the gym after work. The only time he can let his mind truly wonder without worry of working himself up.

 

Work is shit, but Frank’s used to that. The two clubs he’s bouncing at aren’t high end, really more just above sleaze than anything else, but its decent money for pretty much just standing there and flexing his arms or glaring every now and again when someone gets pushy in line, but Frank enjoys closing time when he can toss people out.

He doesn’t linger, grabs his stuff and goes, heading over to the part time security guard at the corner store near the gym he’s been attending. It’s quiet and easy work, and they pay him off the books too, which works just fine for him. Few hours there before he finds himself heading over to the gym to destress before he catches a few hours of sleep and then its rinse and repeat, only at a different corner store.

 

Rolling his shoulders in an attempt to loosen up his sore muscles, Frank couldn’t help but glance around to check his surroundings, a habit left over from his time in the Marines and prison. Flexing his hands as he took in the three older men still standing around the boxing ring on the other side of the room, they looked to still be discussing the two guys trading blows in the ring. The two high school kids from earlier seemed to have left, being replaced instead by a man just a few years younger than Frank himself, and a young girl seated not far as the man himself seemed to be running through a warm up.

Guy was fairly good looking, around Frank’s height. He was more compact muscle rather than bulging as he moved around, bending and twisting around as he stretched out his body. Though, that wasn’t what had caught and kept Frank’s attention.

It was the guys round, tinted glasses that he was wearing, which had Frank doing a double take. It was the walking stick on the ground next to the little girl who was pulling out coloring books.

 

Frank uses his teeth to peel a small section of the tape covering his left wrist, before using his right hand to pull it the rest of the way off, then doing the same to the tape on his right as he watches the pair of them outta corner of his eye, going about his business to cleaning up before he gets outta of the gym.

He assumes it’ll be the only time he sees them there.

He’s wrong.

It’s just the first of many times he’ll find himself watching the pair.

 

Over the course of the next three weeks, as Frank is winding down from his morning workout (destressing from bouncing at bars and clubs, or working the graveyard shift as a night guard), he sees what he’s come to know as the Murdock Duo, having caught a few of the older guys that hang around address the man as Murdock.

He doesn’t approach, doesn’t bring attention to himself. Doesn’t want to interrupt what are clearly important moments between the pair.

(Though, Frank does find himself curious to know as to how the little girl is related to the man, with her slightly darker complexion and seemingly unruly dark curls piled high on top her head. Daughter who only gets these mornings with her dad? Niece? Adopted?

Frank only lets himself ponder as he wipes down and packs his things back up before doing a quick wipe down of whatever equipment he’s used during his visit, than leaving as quick and quietly as he can possibly manage to do. A habit this time picked up from his days in prison.)

But it’s four weeks of this before he gets his first interaction with the Duo. And surprisingly one of the only few guys from prison he’d call a real friend.

 

“Well, well, well, whadda we got here.”

Frank can’t help it as he tense up at the teasing tone coming from behind him. Closing his eyes and taking a quick breath, he preps himself the best he can as he turns slowly to face whoever has finally gotten the courage to come up to him, only to be surprised by the smiling face of his workout partner, Luke Cage.

“Man, I didn’t think they’d ever let you outta the joint,” Cage jokes, holding his hand out, which Frank takes after only a small hesitation. Cage pulls him into a quick half hug, both clapping the other on the back as hard as they can, another thing left over from their days in the yard. “How you been, Castle?”

“Been good, been good,” he rumbles quietly as they pull away and put a good foot of space between them. “You?” He nods to the bigger man, can’t help but noting how much healthier and happier Cage looked compared to the last time they’d seen each other, the day before Cage was released just months before Frank himself had been.

“Can’t complain, can’t complain at all,” Cage answers, still smiling widely, even around the quiet chuckle he lets out, bowing his head as his smile turns a little more bashful for a second. But his face smooths back into the happy look it’d been as he adds on, “Got both my girls back.”

“Good for you man,” Frank nods, half smile quirking the left side of his mouth up. If there had ever been one thing Cage was good for when in the joint, it’d been talking about both his lady loves.

He feels stilted and awkward, but before it can linger and fester there’s a young voice yelling for Cage’s attention. Both men turn to look and Frank can’t help the spike of curiosity shoot through him as he watches the little girl with the blind man, the Murdock Duo, come barreling over, slamming into Cage’s legs, sending the taller man a blinding, bright grin as she looked up at him from where she’d wrapped her small body him.

“Uncle Luke,” she doesn’t quite yell, but Frank thinks it’s close enough to be called that with how loud she was. “Daddy didn’t tell me you were coming by today.”

Well that answers that question, Frank muses in his mind as he edges another few inches back in hopes of slipping away unnoticed, but unfortunately his movements has seemed to draw the pairs attention right back to him.

It’s definitely awkward now, Frank thinks, as they all three eye one another for a moment, before the little girl opens her mouth, most likely to make the situation even more awkward for the adults, Frank is sure.

“You’re the man daddy says smells nice.”

“Maddie,” Cage chides quietly, even if his eyes are dancing with amusement and his lips curving up with glee, clearly finding a nugget of info to use to tease the blind man with. “You shouldn’t say stuff like that, Half-Pint.” Cage pauses to glance over to where the man in question is slowly making his way to the trio before looking back down at the little girl, “Especially not with dad not here to defend himself.”

“I assure you, it’d be a lost cause, Luke, as I’m helpless against my demon angel of a child.”

Frank couldn’t stop the reflexive tensing of his muscles as another voice, this one soft, almost velvety in its quality.

“Madeline doesn’t care if it’s embarrassing or not,” the man slides right up next to the little girl, going to toss his arm over her shoulders, and Frank can’t help the inward nod of approval as the little girl ducked just the tiniest so that the man’s arm didn’t smack her in the face before slide right back into the same position she’d been in, her eyes never leaving Frank’s face. “Tact of a lawyer I’m afraid.”

“Would that mean I got it from you, daddy, or did I get it from Uncle Foggy?” the girl, Madeline, askes as she tilts her head back to rest against her father’s arm, eyes finally leaving Frank’s to look up at her father.

“You definitely got it from your dad and Aunt Jess, Half-Pint,” Cage cut in, causing a small chuckle to be shared between him and the girl’s father.

Frank couldn’t help it as he shuffled his feet just the smallest bit, feeling a little overwhelmed with so many people around him. It was just too much, too fast.

 

(He cringes inwardly when he realizes this is the first time he’d actually really talked to people other than his P.O. and during job interviews.

And wasn’t that just sad?)

 

“I’m sorry for anything Madeline might have said or insinuated,” the man, a lawyer apparently, finally turned to address Frank directly. “She unfortunately takes too much after her Aunt Jessica in that regard.”

“Shouldn’t say stuff like that, daddy,” Madeline cut in, lips twisting up into a bright, teasing grin, “Uncle Luke’ll beat you up for talkin’ about his girlfriend like that.”

Cage snorted, arms moving to cross over his chest as he answered, “Not likely, Maddie cakes. Claire and Jessica would rip me a new one, if I so much as touched him.”

“Its cause daddy’s a baby duckling,” Maddie answered solemnly as she straightened her head up, her hazel eyes zooming back in on Frank’s own dark ones for a long moment before asking, “How do you know my Uncle Luke?”

“Prison,” is Frank’s immediate reply before he winces and looks over to eye Cage and the man for a moment before turning his eyes back to Maddie, who simply nods in response to his answer, like it’s not shocking or awkward at all.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Maddie shoves her left hand out, which Frank is hesitant to take but neither Cage or her father stop it.

Her grip his firm and her hand his small enclosed in his. It’s quickly adding another layer of awkward Frank hates, so he drops her hand, pulling his arms across his chest so he doesn’t have to touch anyone else.

“I’m Madeline Murdock,” the kid introduces herself; still staring up at Frank like he’s a subject she needs to understand. “This is my daddy, Matthew; he’s a lawyer for the good guys.”

“Please,” her dad, Matthew cuts in, squeezing the little girl to him, though his smile never leaves his face as he turns his head more in Frank’s direction, “Call me Matt. Matthew is only for Church, or when I’m in court.”

“Or you’ve pissed off Claire,” Cage cuts in, breaking up the awkward moment, causing everyone to chuckle.

Frank is surprised to find himself doing it along with the others, but he does take a few seconds to relish in the warmth he feels spread throughout him, at the way he relaxes just the smallest bit from the action.

 

It’s awkward getting away from them, but he leaves with a promise to catch up sometime with Cage, who insists on getting together, and with farewell to see one another tomorrow, and Frank couldn’t help but snort as Murdock, Matt, he said call him Matt, says that. But Frank nods twice and rumbles something similar before he’s high tailing it out of there.

He assumes it’s gonna be the last time he interacts with the small family but it’s not. Not even two days later, Maddie comes dragging Matt over to where Frank is still doing his post work workout, already babbling away as she sits herself down and starts setting up her small area, pulling both Frank and Matt into a conversation that she does her best at keeping up all on her own. It’s something that becomes habit, before they start trying to match up the schedules better, so that Frank isn’t sitting around awkwardly while he watches Matt have a go at the punching bag.

 

 

Taking a breath, Matt starts his day tense and agitated, just like he has for the last six years, while he searches the apartment for the tiny thump-thump before he lets his body relax. He feels his lips quirk up into a small smile as he lets himself listens to his baby girl’s heartbeat and humming wash over him, like it’s a balm to his soul.

Matt stays settled for a moment longer before tossing back his blankets and sitting up slowly as he listens to his Madeline pouring herself a bowl of cereal, even though she _knew_ Foggy and Karen were supposed to be coming over for breakfast sometime within the next hour. A tradition they’d tried to do once a month, though with his and Foggy’s practice starting to actually pick up high paying clients, it was becoming hard and harder for them to find the time to get together like this.

Though both he and Foggy still made it a point to ensure they focused on the underdog, still wanting to help the little guy out as much as they could. Even in the hire paying clients ensured they’d get decent pay checks.

He lets his mind wander for a moment, wondering if he’d get to talk with Frank at the gym today. He wonders if he’ll finally get the courage to see if the man would be interested in getting a cup of coffee together, though he doesn’t get to wonder long, as Maddie starts yelling for him to get up.

 “I’m up, Maddie, I’m up,” Matt called back, though not nearly as loud as his daughter had been yelling. “Coffee?” He couldn’t remember if he’d refilled the pot yesterday or not.

“It’s done brewing already.”

Bless his angel of a demon child, for starting it up for him.

Reaching over, he felt around for a second, still in the process of waking up fully, to locate his clock. Tapping the button twice, it uttered the time at him in Jessica’s sarcastic drawl, six forty-two, Saturday, January the seventh.

It was a struggle, but Matt resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he listened to one of his best friends voice snark at him. He really needed to fix that, see if anyone else would record messages for him. Maybe if he got Maddie to help him, they’d wear Claire or Karen down and get them to do it.

(Maybe one day he could ask Frank to do it instead.)

“Daddy.” Maddie sounded right outside of his bedroom door now, her young voice just a touch annoyed, just like her aunts did when he wasn’t cooperating with them. “Are you outta bed yet?”

“I’m there, Sweetheart,” Matt answered as he pushed himself fully off his bed and over towards his door. Only years of practice allowed him to grab the handle on the very first try, pulling the door open. “Shouldn’t you still be sleeping?” He asked as he bent, pecking air twice before Maddie stepped in so that he could drop a kiss onto her head.

“Aunt Jess has a case over in Queens, so Uncle Luke wants to stop and see his old neighborhood. He said he’d take me to the barbers.” Maddie sounded excited, over joyed really, though she always did whenever Luke and Jessica took her on adventures around the city.

“That why you grabbed cereal?” Matt teased as he started down the hallway towards the bathroom. He let out a chuckle as Maddie made a sound between a squawk, at having been caught, and a groan at the prospect of having to eat the healthy breakfast Karen was no doubt bringing along with her. Both Claire and Karen were attempting to get everyone in their small mismatched family to start doing, being healthier.

Chuckling as he shuffled into the bathroom, he closed the door behind him as he stepped over to brush his teeth and then use the bathroom. Letting his mind wonder over what it’d be like to speak with Frank without Maddie there as a buffer.

 

 

“So how often do you hit the gym?” Matt asks suddenly as he starts his pre workout warm up stretches by pulling his right arm across his chest and holding it there for a moment. It’s been almost three weeks since they’d all started joining each other for their workouts. “We’d noticed you a couple times a week, but Darrel’s indicated you come by more often than that.”

Frank doesn’t answer right away as he watches Matt pull his left arm across his chest and hold it for a moment. “Five or six times a week,” he mutters as he forces his eyes down and away for the other man, trying to swallow but finding his mouth dryer than it’d been just a few seconds ago. “Usually come by after work.” He hadn’t felt something like this stir within his chest since the first time he’d seen Maria come dancing down those church steps the summer before their freshmen year of school.

“Then whenever I don’t wanna be stuck in my place,” Frank added, his voice a deeper rumble than it normal was before he cleared his throat and gave a small shrug, knowing by now that Matt would hear the movement, even if Frank didn’t understand how the man could do that.

Matt let out a hum as he moved onto stretching his legs, pulling the left up until it bent at the knee and he pressed the heel of his foot into his ass and then moved onto the other leg.

“How you do that?” Frank felt his face flush as the question that’d been on his mind slipped out. While he was curious, he really hadn’t ever planned to ask Matt about his sense.

“Do what?” Matt asked as he sat down and leant forward to wrap both his hands around his toes and stretched himself forward until he was nearly bent in half.

“Uh,” Frank started before clearing his throat again as he finally shook himself out and began his own pre workout stretches, “The hearing thing, how you do that, if you don’t mind me askin’.” Frank can’t help but wince, he sounds so incredibly awkward, even to his own ears.

“It’s okay,” Matt turned his head up towards Frank’s general direction as he let go of his toes. He gave the other man a small warm smile for a few seconds before letting it drop off his face as he began talking. “After I lost my sight, I had to learn to rely on my other senses,” Matt explained patiently. “I know some find it discerning, so I try not to draw to much attention to it.”

“Uh, it’s no problem, Red,” Frank rumbled, voice solid and sure, wanting Matt to know it didn’t bother Frank at all. “So, uh, you weren’t, uh.” He brought his hand up to wave around his eyes. “Born blind?”

Smiling again, Matt shook his head as he pushed himself up and off the floor, wiping his hands along his gym shorts. “No, I wasn’t born blind. When I was nine, I was involved in an accident. I saved a man’s life, but lost my sight in return.”

“Huh,” Frank mumbled as he tilted his head to the side, studying Matt for a moment before changing topic and getting them focused on their workouts.

They spent the next hour or so separately working out, they kept the conversation up, both giving up things about themselves, Matt giving more detail to his accident, to his father and college, while Frank explained his marriage and short military career, only briefly touching upon what had sent him to prison.

It wasn’t until they were cooling down and doing post work out stretches, something Frank had picked up from Matt; that Frank realized he didn’t want to leave the man’s presences.

“Uh,” Frank started only to snap his mouth shut to clear his throat as he hastily shoved his things into his ratted old gym bag, shyly eyeing Matt before swallowing his nervous and forcing himself to ask, “Wanna grab a cup o’ coffee? ‘Fore you head into work?” He asked in a deep rumble, bracing himself for the rejection he was sure he was going to get.

Matt’s lips stretched into a wide, bright but still somewhat hesitant smile as he ducked his head just the tiniest bit as he placed his own towel into his bag. He hoped Frank thought the flush darkening Matt’s cheeks were from the workout. “I’d love that.”

Frank couldn’t help it as his lips stretched into a goofy looking grin before he forced himself to stop acting like a teenager on a first date. “Know a place not far from here?” He zipped up his bag before tossing the strap over his shoulder.

“I do,” Matt replied as he felt around for a few seconds before finding his own bags strap and cane. Slipping the strap up onto his shoulder, he fidgeted for a second, turning his face towards Frank’s direction shyly for a moment before ducking his head down towards his feet.

Furrowing his brow, Frank eyed Matt for a moment before stepping up closer to the slightly smaller man. “Would it be easier to just hold onto me?” He asked, his voice dropping to an almost whisper as he ducked his head into Matt’s space, though he made sure to leave plenty of room for the other man.

“It would,” Matt replied as he held out his arm.

Frank didn’t hesitate to take it and wrap it around his own, before they were slipping out of the gym and down the street.

Another tradition born between the two, though the coffee shop they’d go to wasn’t very child friendly, which meant Frank and Matt searched for another place to go to, so that when Maddie joined them now that school had started up, she would be able to enjoy the post workout treat.

 

Though almost three weeks later, Frank was regretting this new tradition of theirs as he sat opposite Maddie and her questioning eyes as Matt took a phone call from Foggy about their most recent case.

“So you like daddy?” Maddie asked loudly, her voice curious as she peered intensely up into Frank’s dark eyes.

Frank couldn’t help but fidget in his seat at the bluntness of the little girl seated across from him, as he gave her one firm nod as an answer after a moment of consideration. Tilting his head to the side, he watched as Maddie pursed her lips in thought.

“But do you like him, like kissing and stuff, or like how Uncle Foggy and Uncle Luke do?” She pressed as she leaned forward, pushing her drink out of her way so she could cross her arms over the table top.

Leaning back in his both as he brought his cup of coffee up, taking a long sip as he stared the little girl down for a few moments longer. “Certainly like ‘im in the kissin’ way,” he rumbled quietly, eyes bouncing up and glancing around the diner to asses threats, while also watching for Matt.

Maddie let out a tiny hum, drumming her fingers for a few moments before nodding twice, “Cool, cool.” She pauses to squint her eyes at him for a few seconds before asking, “Does that mean you’ll help me get a puppy then?”

Frank couldn’t help but chuckle quietly in response to Maddie’s question, promising to help her just as Matt slides back into the booth.

 

 

It was nearing October, months after meeting and weeks after what Frank thought might have been them tentatively dating, though he still wasn't entirely positive on that; when he was finally introduced to the other members of Matt and Maddie’s mismatched family, though Maddie wouldn’t be there this evening to help be his buffer.

“You sure ‘bout this, Red?” Frank asked for what was probably then tenth time that day, as he watched Matt carefully pouring out a cup of coffee for Frank before sliding out of the way and letting Frank finish making it. Taking a sip, Frank couldn’t help but wrinkle his nose before his eyes closed in bliss, Matt made damn good coffee.

“I am,” Matt responded as he moved to lean into Frank’s space, though he did it slowly so if Frank wanted to, he could step back. Instead Frank wrapped his free arm around Matt’ trim waist as he lifted his coffee up to take another sip. Matt in return wrapped his own arms around Frank, pressing a quick kiss to the man’s shoulder before leaning his head there.

“What time do we pick up Maddie tomorrow?” Frank asked as he tightened his hold on the other man.

“Sometime around lunch,” Matt replied in a mutter before lifting his head back up. “Taylor said she’d call and let me know for certain around ten tomorrow morning. Claire said they’d be here sometime around five or six, more depending on when Jess finishes up whatever lead she’s running down.”

Frank hummed in reply as he looked off towards the fridge and the numerous pictures Maddie had colored and Matt had put up there for everyone to see, though the newest addition to the collection was the one to capture Frank’s full attention. Maddie had drawn a picture of the three of them with her in the middle, holding both Frank and Matt’s hands.

“Why do you call me that, Frank?”

Frank snapped his head back to look at Matt, making a humming inquiry as his brow furrowed in confusion.

“Red,” Matt explained as he lifted his right hand and traced the deep lines around Frank’s face, “why do you call me that?”

Frank closed his eyes, taking a long, deep breath as he let Matt traces his face. “Cause o’ your blush,” he rumbled out quietly. “It’s a pretty shade ‘a red.”

Chuckling softly, Matt shook his head before leaning forward to press a kiss to the corner of Frank’s mouth before sliding out of Frank’s hold. “Come on, we need to get the apartment cleaned up some, so they aren’t all tripping over Maddie’s stuff.”

Holding back an eye roll, Frank chugged the rest of his coffee and rinsed his cup out before setting it next to the coffee pot. Taking another quick look around, Frank stepped out of the galley styled kitchen and out towards where Matt was already starting to pick up the stuffed animals Maddie had left out from the tea party she’d roped Frank into early this morning.

They spend the next few hours getting the apartment cleaned up, then taking just an hour or so to relax before their guest start arriving. Frank found his body locking up to keep himself from fidgeting as he’s introduced to Claire and Karen, who arrive first with pizzas and drinks. Both women are all polite smiles, though their eyes are sharp and calculating. Next is Foggy, who Frank had met before, having walked Matt to and from their offices a few times. The man is still a little skittish but otherwise doesn’t seem to outright Frank.

The five settle down on the couch and love seat with beers and pizza and it isn’t long before Frank finds himself relaxing into his seat, body angled more into Matt’s as he listens to the old friends talk and laugh before he hears Matt asking after the last two members of their group. Claire assuring them that Jessica and Luke were on their way, just stuck on the subway coming back from a wasted trip out to Manhattan.

“She’s a PI,” Claire clarifies after catching the flash of confusion crossing Frank’s face. “So she’s usually running around the city,” she adds on after taking a swig from her beer. “So what is it that you do, Mr. Castle?” She inquired as she leaned back, sliding slightly into Karen’s space as she eyed Frank, who was seated on the love seat next to Matt.

“Bouncer for a local pub,” Frank rumbled in reply, “Sometimes catch night guard shifts off the books for local businesses that can afford it too,” he added as he leaned forward to swipe his bottle off the table, as well as grabbing a new slice for Matt. Straightening up, he slipped the slice onto Matt’s plate, “But that seems to be more and more with some new big bad sliding into power.”

“Probably Fisk,” Foggy spoke up, his eyes hard and lips twisted into a sneer as he shook his head. His voice was hard and frustrated. “Guys a real piece of work,” he muttered, eyes flicking to Frank’s before back down at the coffee table covered in pizza, paper plates and beer bottles, both empty and varying degrees of fullness.

“Who is he?” Frank found himself asking after they’d settled into a tense, uncomfortable silence. He flicked his eyes around the room as he furrowed his brows in confusion.

“He’s a shark,” Karen replied quietly as she fiddled with her beer bottles label, “A really bad guy, who’s been slowly taking over Hell’s Kitchen the last few years.” She sounded weary and tired as she spoke, her shoulders dropping and her eyes going distant, as if remembering something bad. Claire wasted no time in wrapping Karen up in a hug.

“Guy’s not just a shark,” Foggy cut in, using his bottle of beer to point at Frank even as his voice took on an angrier tone, though he kept his voice quiet before his face softened as he turned to look fully at Karen. “He’s a toxic shark, the literal worst of the worst these streets have seen in decades.” He moved to gently grab Karen’s hand with his own, giving it a soft and light squeeze.

“He’s kinda bad isn’t staying in Hell’s Kitchen either,” Claire piped up as she pulled back from Karen, allowing the woman to turn full and lean into Foggy’s side. She shook her head and reached out to swipe her bottle off the table and took a long pull from it, “It’s starting to spread out into other areas of the city, but Lord knows it won't stop there though.”

“It’s already been spreading out,” Matt pointed quietly, getting everyone’s attention on him. “He’s just finally stopped giving a shit about covering his tracks because he thinks he’s untouchable.”

Sitting back against the couch, Frank let out a small hum as he nodded his head. Though he let the others change the subject and be distracted when a few moments later Jessica and Luke finally showed up, he couldn’t quite get the image of Matt as he spoke out of his head. His normally proud and open boyfriend was hunched in on himself, like he needed to protect himself just from the mere mention of this Fisk person.

Letting the others take the lead and bring about a lighter and more comfortable conversation, Frank couldn’t let that thought go and resolved it by deciding to ask around the neighborhood about this Fisk guy.

 

 

It doesn’t take Frank long to find out information about Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin. Business man by day, criminal boss by night, though Frank amends, Fisk is less clean business men these days than he’d been a few years back.

Frank mulls over what he learns for a few weeks, before he catches Foggy and Claire arguing with Matt one day. Frank had gone to pick Madeline up from school, having promised her a treat for having passed the spelling test she’d been worrying over. He still couldn’t believe Maddie was only six years old but already in the third grade, having skipped second when the school had tested her the year before.

They trio clams up pretty quickly the minute they realize that Frank and Maddie are standing right there, but from the bits Frank had gotten, he could feel his anger rising, could feel a growl of displeasure rumbling from deep within his chest.

Fisk had let it be known he wanted Matt and Foggy off his case, by _any_ means necessary.

The case they’d apparently been working on for a few weeks now was centered on taking Fisk down and putting him a way for a few life times, or a few years.

Frank doesn’t immediately question Matt when the others leave and they’ve put Maddie down to sleep for the night. He holds off. Let’s himself calm down some before he brings it up two days later when he walks Matt back to the office. Frank doesn’t hold back, asks what’s going on and for Matt not to lie to him.

Matt doesn’t answer right away, just walks quietly along the street next to Frank before he quietly begins to explain how they’d met Karen, how she’d been tangled up in one of Fisk’s companies and framed for murder before he and Foggy had proven her innocence and gotten the charges dropped. Matt explains how they’ve kept at Fisk, slowly looking for anything to help them take him down, and hiding it away until they can build a real case against him.

Frank takes it in, nods to and grunts so that Matt knows he’s listening and paying attention. He quietly askes what Matt, Claire and Foggy had been arguing about, and the answer he gets has his blood freezing, his chest tightening and his mouth going dry while it feels like bile is rising in his throat all at once when he hears Matt utter so softly, “Fisk has let word be known he wants me and Foggy dealt with.”

 

 

Frank doesn’t handle it well when Matt tells him about Fisk is threat. After dropping Matt off at the office, Frank loops back to the gym and has another go at the punching back for as long as he can physically stand it before heading to his apartment and goes to wait near Maddie’s school having texted Matt to let him know he’d be picking her up himself, needing to see her after what Matt told him.

So they spend the rest of the day together, as well as the rest of the week. Frank’s mind feels like a whirlwind of half formed thoughts and images that just keep him on edge until he feels like he’s about to implode from everything he’s keeping in. It’s only after almost nearly a week and half of feeling like this when Frank gets a half-baked idea when watching cartoons with Maddie.

He doesn’t go to Matt, doesn’t go to anyone for a few days while he thinks it over, thinks over how dangerous and how this means he could potentially loose Matt and Madeline forever if this goes south. He thinks about how he could end up back in prison and finds that he…he just doesn’t care because they’re worth the risk. They are worth everything and Frank is willing to do whatever it takes to keep his Murdock Duo as safe as he possibly can.

So he goes to Jessica, knowing as a PI she’d have the best knowledge to help, and isn’t the least bit surprise when she snorts before lounging into a long winded, for Jessica that was, argument about how Frank was an idiot and she wanted no part in his stupidity.

“Makes the most sense, Jones,” Frank rumbled as he crosses his arms defensively as he eyes the woman as she scowls darkly at him. “Cage’s cop buddy needs someone to go undercover. You’re havin’ problems gettin’ info to help Matt and Foggy with their case, so gettin’ me into Fisk’s organization is your best shot.”

Of course it’s not that simple but eventually Frank gets her to agree. He gets Luke as well, and not surprisingly it’s easier to get his old cellie to help him out.

It’s a long few weeks of getting the police to approve and to start getting his name out there to get on Fisk’s radar, while also trying to keep this from Matt. So in order to do that, Frank does the only thing he can, he starts pulling back and starts letting his temper get the better of him, knowing his fists will be the thing that gets his name floating around the streets.

So when after nearly a month, just after the beginning of the New Year, Frank gets put into the back of a black sedan and driven around the city for a while before another man slips into the car and seated next to him.

“So you’re the man my men have been telling me about.”

Frank used every ounce of self-control to keep himself still as he turned his head slightly to flick his eyes up and over towards the bald man in a nicely pressed suit seated next to him. The man was clearly larger than Frank, big build but didn’t look as solid like a fighter but Frank knew looks weren’t reliable when it came to fighters.

“Mister Fisk,” Frank murmured with a polite nod.

 

 

Frank knows the deeper he gets in, the more he gets trusted with and the more he’s given to do, the more he’ll need to pull back from his Murdock Duo. He hates it of course but he also knows it’s the right thing to do.

The thing is to keep Matt and Madeline safe and that above all else, is Frank’s main priority. No matter what he’s asked to do, either by the police or Fisk, keeping them safe is what he cares about the most. Forget the city and the cops. He could forget his own life because he needs them healthy and breathing. They’re the only two good things he’s got left and he won’t let himself lose them.

So he starts pulling back even more than he’d already been doing. He goes from spending nearly every day and a few nights a week, to only five or so days with them. Though that only last a couple a weeks before he cuts that time down soon. He keeps most of his time with them on the phone, so that Matt can’t do his hearing thing and tell that Frank is lying to them, to him.

Matt can’t find out, because Frank doesn’t want his boyfriend to know. He doesn’t want Matt to try and help. He doesn’t want Matt anywhere near this in case it blows up.

 

“Can’t come over today,” Frank rumbled into the burner he’d gotten just for Matt and Maddie, “Got called in for an extra shift.” He tightens his fist until his nails are biting into the palm of his hand hating himself as he lies.

He hates this but knows he needs to do this. He needs to keep them at arm’s length if this is gonna work, he has too

_He has too_.

He has to keep Maddie and Matt safe. He _needs_ them to be safe, no matter what happens to him, they need to be safe.

Frank tried not to wince at the tiny sigh that crackled over the phone line, “Okay,” Maddie mumbled before there was fumbling and then suddenly Matt’s voice was filling Frank’s ear. Though Matt didn’t yell or pick a fight, Frank could hear the frustration, the disappointment. He could hear the uncertainty and doubt.

Frank closed his eyes and kept his voice steady as he could; all the while feeling like his chest was caving in on itself. He just kept repeating to himself that this was worth it. Canceling and not seeing them, working even more was worth it because he was getting more evidence than anyone had to put Fisk away for longer than they’d been hoping for. He just needed more time, just needed more time.

 

Matt frowns as he slowly passes over the documents he’s currently reading, trying to pay attention and not worry about the last two months or so of Frank’s strange and vastly questionable behavior. It’d been weeks of him pulling back, of him changing plans last minute and out right refusing to see them because he’d claimed this new job was just keeping him far too busy.

Matt pulled his hand away, knew attempting to get real work done was useless and he just…he just couldn’t concentrate on anything other than his boyfriend.

Was Frank even still his at this point?

Squeezing his eyes shut tightly, he lifts his hands up to pull his glasses off with his left, while he used his right to rub firmly at his eyes for a long moment. Letting out a sigh, he put his glasses back on before leaning back in his chair.

He just wanted to know what was going on, but not for himself, but for Maddie. This wasn’t fair to his little girl. She didn’t deserve to be treated like this. He thought after everything, Frank would have treated her at least better than he was.

Taking a long, deep breath and holding it for at least thirty seconds, as Matt released he realized he heard feet shuffling just outside of his door. “Yes?” He called out quietly, knowing he wouldn’t have to raise his voice more than that for them to hear him.

“Matt,” Foggy started with his voice nervous and unsteady as he and someone else walked in with him. “It’s uh, buddy, it’s um…its.” Shutting his mouth, Foggy tried swallowing as he flicked his gaze over towards Claire before turning back towards his best friend and tried once more to get the words out. “It’s…uh…it’s about, umm, it's abo-” But was cut off when Claire muttered something under her breath.

“It’s Frank,” Claire cute in, her voice soft but unwavering hard as she announced what they’d all been trying to tip toe around for the last few days. “It’s Frank. The man in the photograph with Fisk is Frank Castle. He’s working for Fisk.”

 

 

At first, Matt didn’t know how to feel about what Claire and Foggy had told him. He didn’t know how to take it, except to feel utterly and completely numb. He felt like he went around in a daze for almost a week before it really seemed to sink in that his boyfriend, no, his ex-boyfriend was now working for the man that wanted him gone. That wanted to hurt Maddie.

How the hell could Frank, after _everything_ , do _this_ to them? Matt just couldn’t understand.

He tried calling the man, tried getting him to go out, somewhere public and with lots of people. Feeling bile rise in his throat as he realized he was doing that, looking for a place with lots of witnesses. Shaking his head as his eyes stung, Matt couldn’t believe what had become his life.

Of course, Frank didn’t agree to meet him somewhere in public, not that Matt was really all that surprised. Though coming home from having dropped Maddie off with Luke, Claire and Jessica, Matt was both shocked and not shocked when he realized Frank was seated on his couch.

Matt had never been more thankful for Claire insisting on Maddie staying with them for a couple of weeks as he paused, taking in the deep, even breathes and the steady beat of Frank’s heart. Shaking himself, he placed his bag and jacket down before turning back around. He shut and locked his front door before toeing out of his shoes as he began to loosen his tie.

“I don’t,” Matt started before shaking his head as he slipped off his suit jacket, tossing  it away as he finally turned away from his front door and looked in the generally direction of his couch. “What do you want, Frank?”

“You called.” Frank’s voice was quiet and tired but firm, not giving anything else away, “Wanted to wait until you were ‘lone ‘fore we did.” Frank shifted where he was sitting, like he was leaning forward like he often did. “Don’t think this needs to be between anyone but us, Red.”

“Don’t call me that,” Matt snapped, his voice hard and angry. He suddenly felt so angry and hot just from that one word out of Frank’s mouth. “You don’t get to call me _that_ anymore.”

“Matt,” Frank tried to start before he was cut off by the other man yelling.

“How could you!” Matt honestly had wanted to keep his composure, he didn’t want to raise his voice and yell. He was just so…so angry though. “After everything you learned about him? After everything he’s done to this community? To this city?” Matt couldn’t stop it as his hands began to shake just the tiniest bit from his rage. “The man Foggy and I have been working tirelessly to put away?!”

It took work, more than Frank wanted to admit, but he just barely kept himself from flinching at the accusing tone Matt was using, the accusations the lawyer was tossing at him like a verbal hits.

“Needed the work,” Frank rumbled after a few moments of them listening to the other breath heavily.

“You needed – I can’t,” Matt cut himself as he ran his hands through his hair before shaking his head widely as he clinched his fists as he brought them down to rest limply by his waist. “You,” he lot out a half choked sob, half broken sigh of frustration before once again shaking his head as he turned away from Frank.

“Matt,” Frank wanted to reach out, wanted to pull the slightly smaller man into his arms but he stopped himself short. Knew Matt wouldn’t appreciate being touched right then, knew the man didn’t want _Frank_ touching him. Instead, Frank slipped his hands into his jacket pockets, balling them into fists, digging his nails into his palms, relishing in the slight sting of sharp expected pain.

“Get out,” Matt stated, his voice low and firm. He sounded like he’d spent the night screaming and crying with how rough his voice was. He slowly turned back around, so that his body was facing Frank. “You need to get out and stay away from me. Stay away from Maddie or I swear to God I’ll kill you myself.”

Breathing heavily, Matt listened as Frank shifted on his feet for a moment before murmuring something that Matt couldn’t figure out before his heavy steps sounded down the hall and into Matt’s bedroom. Matt listened as Frank slipped out of his apartment via the window in Matt’s room.

Taking a shuddering breath, Matt felt his knees finally gave out and he sunk to the floor, chest heaving as he tried to unsuccessfully get his breathing under control, even as his mind became a mass of half formed thoughts and worries.

 

 

It was nearing the mid of March before Matt even let the others mention Frank or Fisk near him. Though no matter how hard he tired, he couldn’t bring himself to discourage Madeline from asking about the man, even if he still didn’t know what exactly to tell her. He tired, really, Matt did but every time he tried he found himself chickening out from telling Maddie as much of the truth as he could. But before he could seriously sit Maddie down, the news had reported that William Fisk and more than half his organization were arrested, along with a large number of his underlings as well.

“It’s just,” Matt started miserably as he dropped down heavily onto Jessica’s couch two days after the story had officially broken city wide, before spreading around the country  about the huge blow to organized crime. “How am I supposed to, how are we supposed to feel about this now?” He kept his voice quiet, trying to keep his emotions out of his voice.

“God,” Jessica rolled her eyes, reaching over and smacking Matt’s shoulder before settling back down next to him on the couch. “You’re both so stupid, so damn stupid.” She shot him a dark look before rolling her eyes, “I swear to God, you all thought _I_ was bad with Luke and Claire."

“How, excuse me? How am I the, the stupid one?” Matt demanded,sputtering almost incoherently as his head snapped over in Jessica’s direction. His mouth opening and closing once or twice before he began to sputter out an undefinable sounds ones before seeming to find his voice once again. “He’s the stupid o –”

“He risked everything, to help take down a man who was threatening your _life_. Who was threatening _Madeline’s life_ ,” Jessica cut Matt off briskly, sitting up and smacked her beer against the table top with a firm thud. “Castle risked everything to help take Fisk down. Not for a clean record or a settlement. He did it to help you and Maddie. So Matthew, he’s only stupid because he kept it for you, despite several attempts to convince him it’d be better for him if he did.”

“How would you know that?” Matt finally broke down and asked after a short, stilted silence.

“Who the hell do you think was helping him out?” Jessica shot back, rolling her eyes so hard she was positive Claire could hear them over at the hospital, “You idiot, the both of you, idiots.” She reached out and grabbed her beer once again before settling back into her couch. “Foggy’s getting all the files as Frank’s requesting him to represent him in court. Maybe you should try and ask if you can assist him.” With that Jessica refused to talk about it or let Matt talk about it again.

 

 

Frank felt his hands shake slightly as he was lead into a small room just off the courtroom, so that he could say his goodbyes, a small favor granted for what he’d done for the city. He kept staring at his hands as he waited. The last three months had been brutal, with trails and sentencing but now it was all over and he just had to get through the next six months, unless screwing up inside, and then he could work on rebuilding his life, again.

Closing his eyes and taking a breath, he stayed just like that for another few moments before the door opened a multiple feet shuffled in. Looking up, he was honestly a little surprised to see Claire, Luke and Jessica walk in with Foggy.

Pushing himself up off the chair he’d been sitting on, Frank nodded at Luke and Foggy and went to open his mouth before shutting it and again just nodding at the group before him.

“You doing okay, man?” Luke asked, eyes concerned and voice quiet as he stepped over and clapped his hand on Frank’s shoulder.

“Ain’t too bad. Could'a been a lot worse than six months,” Frank rumbled softly, hands clench at his sides as he gave a little shrug. It was tense for another moment before Claire reached out and pulled him into a brief but heartfelt hug. After holding on for a moment she slipped back in between Luke and Jessica.

“Maddie wanted to come,” Foggy spoke up as he began shifting awkwardly from Jessica’s other side, eyes shifting between the four other people before finally settling his gaze onto Frank’s own.

“S’fine,” Frank murmured, shoving his hands into the suit pants pockets. “She shouldn’t be here anyhow.” He gave another little shrug. "It's best she ain't seein' all o' this." He brought his left hand out to wave it around, indicating the room they were standing in before shoving it back into his pocket.

“She wanted to see you before you go sent away again,” Jessica cut in, eyes flickering around the room before rolling them and turning to get Frank to look at her. “Matt’s still all fucked up about the truth of all this though. It’ll take some time for him, but he’ll come around.”

“Doubtful,” Frank rumbled out. His voice tired and quiet as he shook his head. It looked as if trying to shake out the last memory he had of the lawyer. "But I don't blame him none."

“He will,” Foggy cut in as he noted Jessica gearing up with a snide but oddly truthful comeback. “Matt just needs to adjust to this new knowledge, and then get really trashed one weekend. And then he’ll realize he’s being an idiot and want to reach out to you.” Foggy nodded, sending an awkward smile over at the man who’d fucked his own life up to help his best friend.

“And after he gets his head on right,” Claire smoothly stepped in, sending an eye roll both over at her girlfriend but at Foggy as well, “He and Maddie _will_ be by to visit. So make sure they’re on your approved list, as well as all of us.”

“You can skip my name,” Jessica cut in, ignoring the glare being sent her way from Claire and Foggy, as well as the disappointed look Luke was giving her. “We’ve seen enough of each other over these last few months. I’ll see your ass when it gets back out on the streets and we can go get a beer.”

 

 

Matt doesn’t fidget – he doesn’t – no matter what Luke or Maddie want to say, as they sit outside the prison, waiting for Frank to be released. Even though he is totally fidgeting as he shifts his weight for the eighth time again.

It’d been six months since his trail, since he’d even been around Frank and Matt was scared. Terrified really what how this day was going to go, which is why Matt let himself get distracted when Maddie called for his attention about her sign.

“Do you think he’ll like it though, daddy?” Maddie asked as she eyed the sign she’d made for Frank critically over the last two weeks.

Smiling softly as he reached over to gently run his left hand over his daughter’s soft locks, Matt couldn’t help but let out a soft, quiet hum of agreement. “I’m sure Frank’s gonna love it, Sweetie. He loves everything you make him.”

“Course he’s gonna love it, Half-Pint,” Luke cut in as he moved to lean on the car next to Matt, head half turned to the little girl who was seated on the hood, her handmade ‘welcome home’ sign spread out before her. “You and Aunt Claire spent the last week makin’ it perfect for him.”

“But what if he doesn’t like it?” Maddie couldn’t help but asked again, worry coloring her voice as she looked up at her uncle. “I really, _really_ want him to like this, Uncle Luke.”

Matt doesn’t say anything, just listens as Luke reassures Maddie that Frank will not only love her sign but be completely surprised that she’d taken the time to make him one. Matt lets their chatter wash over him, he lets it calm him down and float for a while before he picks it up, the unique thump-thump pattern of Frank’s heartbeat.

The same beat he can hear coming towards the gate that would lead Frank from prison and towards them.

Towards _him_.

Taking a deep breath, Matt tried to get his heartbeat to settle into one rhythm despite its attempts to beat several at once like it was doing.

Closing his eyes uselessly behind his glasses, Matt tightens his grip on his cane before releasing his breath slowly. He takes a moment to try and reign himself in as the gates beep a warning that they are about to open up.

It still takes a few moments, but eventually the roll open and Frank is walking out, though he pauses as he spots their small little group standing just a few yards from the opening. He pauses and stares for a long few moments before he’s carefully striding towards them, again pausing just two feet from them and rumbling out a soft, “Hey.”

Matt takes a moment before he’s stepping closer, which prompts Frank to drop his small bag of possessions, closing the distances and wrapping his arms tightly around Matt’s waist. They hold onto each other for a long moment, quietly murmuring to each other as they do.

 

 

Crouching down after finally peeling himself from Matt, Frank couldn’t help the spike of fear shoot through his heart as he watched Maddie actually hesitate from beside Luke.

“Hey baby girl,” Frank rumbled, elbows resting on his knees as he waited the young girl out. He kept his open, so as not to give her the impression he didn’t want her coming near him if she wanted too.

While it looked like Maddie wasn’t gonna peel her body from Luke’s side, she finally darted away and barreled straight into Frank’s chest. She tossed her little arms and wrapped them tightly around Frank’s neck, a little sob slipping out as she buried her face into his neck.

 

 

_Two years later…_

 

“Did you remember to wrap the gift?” Matt asked again for the eleventh time. His voice a little exasperated as his hands reached out to adjust his tie.

“Yes,” Maddie answered back with a put upon sigh as she dropped down onto the couch. Sniper, her ever faithful Pitbull, jumping up and laying across her lap the minute she was settled. Matt could just hear the smile splitting Maddie’s face as her hand moved to start scratching behind Sniper’s ears. It’d been a long and drawn out talk but eventually Matt had caved and agreed to letting Frank and Maddie get a dog…somehow ending up with two pitbulls instead of the one he’d agreed too, as he heard Max let out a rumble before settling back down into his nap.

“And you remembered to tell you dad, right?” Matt asked, hands patting down his pockets before letting out a curse when he couldn’t find his phone.

“Your phones on your nightstand,” Maddie called out as Matt spun on his heel and quickly made his way through the apartment.

Matt swore he could hear his daughter’s eye roll all the way from the living room.

“And I told Papa the time and even had Aunt Jess send him a text too,” she yelled out as Matt made his way back towards the master bedroom, expertly dodging everything as he made a beeline towards his nightstand, patting it for a second, only to come up empty.

“Honestly, Red.”

Matt froze for a split second before his body relaxed automatically as Frank’s voice washed over him form the bedroom’s doorway. He turned his head towards where Frank was, sending his partner a lazy but happy smile over his shoulder.

“It’s like you got no trust in me and Maddie-Cakes.”

“Because the last time I left the gift wrapping up to you both, we ended up giving Foggy and Karen a gift wrapped in old newspaper,” Matt shot back, giving up on finding his phone for the moment as he turned to face his body towards his partners.

“Wasn’t that bad, Choir Boy,” Frank rumbled with a soft chuckle. Matt felt his eyes narrow as he _heard_ Frank’s lips tugging up into a smile.

“It was their wedding, Frank,” Matt answered, his voice flat and just so utterly done with his lover and child. Both of them had spent the last two years conspiring together to either give Matt a full head of gray hair before its time, or driving him to lose it all.

“At least it wasn’t ours though,” Frank remarked flippantly as he his jacket ruffled like Frank had shrugged his shoulders.

“We’d have to settle on a date first,” Matt muttered as he let Frank reel him into the man’s broader body. “And since I’m pretty sure neither of us has, I think it’s safe to say we won’t have that mishap since we can’t agree on when.”

“We could agree,” Frank rumbled straight into Matt’s ear. “Just let Maddie pick,” he dropped his head to press a kiss to Matt’s neck, “After all, she’s the one who told me I’m the man that her daddy said smells nice,” he rumbled with a low chuckle as Matt let out a groan, muttering about Frank’s daughter and her ability to be so blunt when meeting people. “Can’t blame me, Red, she learned that long before I came into the picture.”

“I want spring time,” Maddie yelled out from the living room. “But we need to go, daddies or we’re gonna be late!”

 

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**Author's Note:**

> I do plan to eventually write a follow up where I go more in depth into Frank's time undercover and then his second time in prison, unfortunately life just simply wasn't going to let me do that within this part of the story. I've also thought up a few one shots I'd like to do as well.  
>  
> 
> I'm [Nixie](http://nixie-deangel.tumblr.com/). Please don't be afraid to tell me what you think of this!


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